Emile Heskey might have been left out of Sven-Goran Eriksson’s 23-man squad for the opening World Cup qualifiers, but he is still backing the Swede to take England forward. The 26-year-old has been in prime form for Birmingham this season and scored with a bullet-like header against Manchester City last week. However, it wasn’t enough to catch the Swede’s eye and he has selected Alan Smith, Jermain Defoe, Michael Owen and Darius Vassell instead. It has been a tough summer for Eriksson who has been splashed over the front pages rather than the back. But the 3-0 friendly win over Ukraine last month finally moved matters back onto the pitch and Heskey insists that the Swede’s summer of discontent will have made him a wiser man in the long run. Givemefootball’s Ian Clarkson asks the questions.
Q:IS SVEN STILL THE MAN FOR THE ENGLAND JOB?
A:Yes. It has been hard for him because he has come to England from Sweden and it is very different. His private life has been bought into the public domain and I think he will have to get used to that. As a manager everyone likes him, respects him and wants him to stay. He has been good not only for me, but for everyone, and you can see that by the way we play.
Q:EXPECTATIONS ARE HIGHER THAN EVER – DOES THAT CREATE EXTRA PRESSURE?
A:Everyone is confident and we all really want to play for Sven. Because of the way we have applied ourselves in the qualifying and main tournament’s since Sven’s arrival fans now expect us to qualify every time. People say a lot of things about international friendlies but they are useful for experimenting. We have done reasonably well in the major tournaments when we have qualified and the players expect to qualify as well. It is going to be tough but we have to back ourselves.
Q:THERE IS A LOT OF COMPETITION FOR THE STRIKERS POSITION NOW ISN’T THERE?
A:It is going to be tough to get a starting spot but that is good for the country. To have two people fighting for every position is great. It is important for me to keep my form going and that Birmingham keep playing well too.
Q:HOW GOOD IS WAYNE ROONEY?
A:Wayne is an exceptional player. He has got no fear. When you come into the game as a young lad you basically do whatever you want and it all seems to fall into place for you. He has been brilliant for England and he has shown what an exceptional talent he is. What he has to do is maintain that from now on.
Q:ONE OF THE LASTING MEMORIES OF EURO 2004 WILL BE YOU CONSOLING DARIUS VASSELL AFTER THE PORTUGAL GAME – WHAT DID YOU SAY?
A:Darius is only young and there was a lot of pressure on him. I just said to him that it takes a real man to go up there and take that penalty. There were probably a lot of people in the crowd who said ‘I would have done this or that’. But if it really came to it, there aren’t a lot of people who would have stepped up and been confident. He has to take a lot of praise for that. I know he felt really down afterwards and you would do. Everyone is behind him and backing him because he did brilliantly for us throughout the tournament.
Q:WHEN THE PAIR OF YOU PLAYED TOGETHER AGAINST FRANCE YOU MUST HAVE BEEN PROUD?
A:It is good for the city of Birmingham that Darius and I played together in Euro 2004 as it shows how far we have come forward. I am his friend…apart from when we play Villa on December 12!
